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One of the things that civil liberties activists like to lament about is that the general public seems to care more about Google and Facebook using their personal data to target advertising than the government using it to target drone strikes.

All we really need to know is that passing H.R. 1314 essentially puts the omnibus, 29-chapter Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement onto the fast track, where Congress members don't get a chance to deliberate or discuss it on the floor of the House.

First, find who his or her biggest corporate donors are. Then check his or her record on policies that may impact the bottom lines of those companies. Does she support or oppose financial-sector reform? Has he recently signed a letter or released a statement opposing EPA curbs to coal-plant emissions?

I thought John Sarik was trying to shake my hand when we met last Spring at the Columbia Laboratory for Unconventional Electronics (CLUE). Instead he was trying to hand me a small tan-colored plastic figurine of smuggler and rouge Han Solo, of Star Wars fame, frozen in carbonite.

It is important to note that the differences are much more nuanced than many of the alarmists would lead you to believe -- each country is trying to get the agreement to align best with its existing policies.

However important the SOPA victory was in 2012, its lasting significance depends on how well the diverse coalition holds together in these and other fights -- and against business as usual in Washington.